View clinical trials related to Cardiovascular Disease.
Filter by:Rationale: Ischaemic preconditioning (IP) refers to the reduction of ischemia-reperfusion injury induced by a brief preceding period of ischemia. Also the arterial endothelium can be protected by IP. Several studies performed in animals and humans have demonstrated that the protective effects of IP are attenuated with aging. However, no previous study directly examined the underlying mechanisms of this observation. Possibly, the reduced protective effect of IP with aging relates to a direct effect on the endothelium, consequently leading to an attenuated ability of IP to prevent endothelial dysfunction after ischaemia reperfusion injury. Several previous studies failed to demonstrate the ability of pharmacological stimuli to mimic the beneficial effects of IP in aged vessels. Restoration of the age-related reduction in effectiveness of IP may be possible through exercise training. In aged animals, physical training restores the efficacy of ischemic preconditioning. Indirect evidence indicates that physical activity, independent of other cardiovascular risk factors, protects against a occurrence as well as the severity of a myocardial infarction in humans. Although this suggests that physical activity may beneficially influence the age-related reduction in IP, no previous study provided direct evidence for this hypothesis. Objective: To examine the impact of age and physical fitness on the ability of ischaemic preconditioning to protect endothelial damage in response to ischaemia reperfusion injury in healthy humans. A secondary objective is to explore the role of Toll-like receptor (TLR) signalling in the induction of IP in young and old subjects.
The underlying hypothesis is that whole body cholesterol - including cholesterol present in tissues that cannot be measured by standard blood tests - is related to heart disease risk. Endogenous cholesterol will be labeled with an intravenous infusion of one type of cholesterol tracer and dietary cholesterol will be labeled with another. These tracers will be used to measure how fast cholesterol is synthesized and excreted using mass spectrometry to distinguish the tracers. Data will be related to circulating biomarkers (blood tests) and to the thickness of the lining of the carotid artery. The effect of the drug ezetimibe on these processes will also be determined. Successful completion of this study will give us more knowledge about cholesterol metabolism that may be useful in designing new drugs and treatments for patients with heart disease, especially those that are already receiving maximum amounts of current medications.
ClarityIQ is a novel X-ray imaging technology, that combines advanced real-time image noise reduction algorithms, with state-of-the-art hardware to reduce patient entrance dose significantly. This is realized by anatomy-specific optimization of the full acquisition chain (grid switch, beam filtering, pulse width, spot size, detector and image processing engine) for every clinical task individually. Furthermore, smaller focal spot sizes, shorter pulses and the introduction of automatic real-time motion compensation in subtraction imaging are used, which are known to positively influence image quality . The final effect on the clinical image quality in peripheral angiography is investigated in this study.
The benefits of alternative therapeutic approaches, such as yoga, are poorly understood and this is particularly true of the beneficial effects on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. It is hoped that a better understanding of the value of this therapy will provide a sound scientific basis for including yoga in mainstream clinical practice. The investigators propose to study a group of 80 participants (40 Indian Asians and 40 Europeans) recruited from a cardiac rehabilitation programme in West London post-angioplasty as treatment for an acute coronary syndrome. Those who agree will undergo a series of baseline and follow-up measurements. 20 Indian Asians and 20 Europeans will be randomized to the yoga intervention plus their standard cardiac rehabilitation programme (usual care), and the remaining 20 Indian Asians and 20 Europeans will be randomized to usual care alone. Baseline and follow-up measurements will be performed on all participants. In order to determine the acute effects of yoga the group randomised to the yoga intervention will also undergo a series of acute tests before and after their first yoga session.
The Cardiovascular Inflammation Reduction Trial (CIRT) is a randomized clinical trial investigating whether taking low-dose methotrexate reduces heart attacks, strokes, or death in people with type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome that have had a heart attack or multiple coronary blockages. This trial is funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)/National Institutes of Health (NIH).
This is a substudy of MARCH, in which we are exploring the changes in the vascular endothelium using pulse wave tonometry (a non invasive measure of cardiac health) to measure the changes in small and large arterial elasticity in participants of the MARCH study who switch to maraviroc-based regimens over 96 weeks of follow-up.
This study will examine if health benefits of consuming nutrient-rich apples, an apple extract and freeze dried apple product will be similar. 50 volunteers at increased risk of heart disease will consume either a low apple diet (<1 portion/d), 2 high or low polyphenol apples/day, an apple extract, or freeze dried apple granule product for 4 weeks (ten participants per group, randomly assigned). Apart from the extract group, all volunteers will consume a placebo. All volunteers will follow a low apple diet (<1 apple per day) other than what has been provided by the research team. Volunteers will complete food diaries at the start and end of the study and a number of questionnaires. Blood and urine samples collected at 0 and 4 weeks
The purpose of this study is to compare the cardiovascular profiles of efavirenz and rilpivirine, which are two drugs used to treat HIV infection.
Cardiovascular disease continues to be the principal cause of death in the world. At present, the risk factors for cardiovascular disease continue to appear at an earlier age permitting prevention activities and the promotion of healthy habits to focus on children. Numerous studies have shown that these factors can be controlled in children through school-based interventions. At the same time, data shows that there is a persistence of unhealthy lifestyles (ie sedentary lifestyles, the use of tobacco, etc…) that begin in childhood and are perpetuated until adulthood. Therefore, the acquisition of healthy lifestyles should begin as early as possible. The SI Program for Preschool Education is an intervention that is both school and home based designed to improve the habits, knowledge and attitudes in four key areas: Food (diet), Physical Activity, Knowledge of the Body and Managing Emotions. This intervention will be implemented in children from three to five years of age, in their parents and in their teachers. To evaluate the efficacy of this intervention, the principal aim of the phase of evaluations is to quantify the behavior changes in the three groups/populations mentioned. The evaluation has been designed according to the controlled intervention model, in which twenty-four schools from the Community of Madrid will be randomized to implement the Program si! for Preschool Education or to function as control schools.
Rationale and objective: Based on the results of a pilot study, the objective of the present study is to evaluate whether buttermilk lower serum LDL cholesterol concentrations and can prevent the serum LDL cholesterol raising effects of eggs. Study Design: The study has a randomized placebo-controlled factorial 2x2 design. The total study duration is 14 weeks, consisting of a 2 weeks run-in period and a 12 weeks experimental period. Subjects will be stratified for age, gender and BMI over the experimental groups. Study population: One hundred and eight healthy male and female subjects, aged 18-70 years, with slightly elevated serum total cholesterol concentrations (5.5-8.0 mmol/l). Intervention: During the entire study period, volunteers are instructed to consume a diet according to the Dutch dietary guidelines (35 en% fat (10 en% saturated fat), 50-55 en% carbohydrates). During the two weeks run-in period all subjects will drink daily at lunch 100 mL skimmed milk. During the 12 weeks experimental period, a first group of subjects will continue drinking the skimmed milk (control group), while a second group will consume a low-fat buttermilk, a third group skimmed milk enriched with egg-yolk, and a fourth group egg-yolk incorporated into a low-fat buttermilk based beverage. The egg-yolk will be enriched in lutein. Whole egg consumption (others than provided by us) is not allowed during the entire study. Main study parameters/endpoints: Measurements will be performed during the run-in period (days 0, 11 and 14) and during the experimental period (days 56, 95 and 98). The main effects (egg-yolk and buttermilk consumption) will be calculated as the absolute differences between values obtained at the end of the experimental (average days 95 and 98) and run-in (average days 11 and 14) periods. The primary endpoint is the change in serum LDL cholesterol concentrations. Secondary endpoints are changes in serum total and HDL cholesterol, triacylglycerol, apoA-I, apoB and hsCRP concentrations.